What do FedEx, Microsoft Gulf, Marriott, PepsiCo Asia, Middle East and Africa, THE One, Bayt.com and Dulsco have in common?
They all feature in the list of the top 10 companies to work for in the UAE this year.
A balance between work and life, a culture of appreciation and an ear for employee suggestions were some of the reasons that helped them get into the list, the Great Place to Work Institute, which ranked the firms, highlighted.
"We are pleased to see new companies make the list this year and that some of our previous list makers have improved their positions among the top 10," says Michael Burchell, a partner and director of the Great Place to Work Institute UAE, which has offices in Dubai as well as major cities across the world.
"This shows they are applying what they learn from the research into models for continuous business improvement." But with only three home-grown companies making it into the report conducted in the Emirates it would seem that increasing employee satisfaction here is still a work in progress.
A survey this week from Towers Watson, a research and consultancy firm based in the United States with offices in Dubai, Paris and London, showed that staff satisfaction levels here are low compared with North America, Europe and parts of Asia.
"There is a huge opportunity to increase employee potential," said Billy Turriff, the business leader for data, surveys and technology at Towers Watson Middle East.
Mr Turriff points out that employees in the UAE are struggling to cope with high levels of work-related stress and financial concerns. There is also a lack of confidence in company executives.
"Get strong leadership on the ground to motivate and engage people and create a positive culture," says Mr Turriff. He also suggests telling employees not to answer work-related BlackBerry messages over the weekend.
Of the 1,000 employees surveyed in the UAE, only 31 per cent felt their companies promote staff health and well-being. That is 12 per cent less than the global average.
While the tough economic climate in which employees are expected to work harder is one of the reasons, the changing nature of the workforce here is also adding to the problem.
"Now a lot more people are staying longer in the UAE and making it their home," says Mr Turriff, adding that as a result worker expectations have risen.
"[Staff now want] to learn new skills [and be] rewarded in line with company performance."
The fallout of low employee satisfaction, which includes increased absenteeism and reduced productivity levels, can also hit companies financially, according to Mr Turriff.
Happy employees might also help the bottom line.
Global companies such as FedEx, Microsoft, Marriott and PepsiCo all reported an average increase of 10 per cent in earnings per share in the first quarter of the year.
Regular in-house surveys can also help companies understand the attitude of employees, observes Hazel Jackson, the chief executive of Biz-ability, which trains human resources teams.
"Some companies even carry out these surveys to adhere to corporate governance standards but don't really consider the results," she says.
Lama Ataya, the chief marketing officer at Bayt.com, tries to keep employees at the top of their game.
"[Perks include] generous external training allowances, flexible working hours for mothers, and an emphasis on regularly celebrating achievements," she says.
At Bayt.com, which employs 250 people, the management looks to motivate staff through regular team-building efforts.
"We always join events like Hercules, where different companies compete in a sports day, [and] our monthly fiesta is a way to get the creativity out of everyone. For example, our last theme was masquerade," says Ms Ataya.
The work environment is also crucial.
"Our pantries every day are very generously filled to the brim with free fresh seasonal fruit of every dimension for all employees," says Ms Ataya.
ssahoo@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company%20Profile
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
%3Cp%3ECory%20Sandhagen%20v%20Umar%20Nurmagomedov%0D%3Cbr%3ENick%20Diaz%20v%20Vicente%20Luque%0D%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Chiesa%20v%20Tony%20Ferguson%0D%3Cbr%3EDeiveson%20Figueiredo%20v%20Marlon%20Vera%0D%3Cbr%3EMackenzie%20Dern%20v%20Loopy%20Godinez%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETickets%20for%20the%20August%203%20Fight%20Night%2C%20held%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20went%20on%20sale%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20through%20www.etihadarena.ae%20and%20www.ticketmaster.ae.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Specs
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